CHAPTER 19
Arianna
“Honey, I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?” Mama asked.
Sitting at the kitchen table in front of a soggy bowl of cereal, I shook my head.
She stood before me, frowning. “Do you have any plans for the night?”
I shook my head again.
She sighed. “Ari, I know you’re upset, but it’s going to be all right. For the record, your father and I are sorry. We honestly thought Giovanni would be good for you.”
I blinked. “I don’t blame you or Daddy, Mama. The only person to blame is Giovanni.” And myself, for not seeing through his charade…
She came to my side, wrapped her arm around me, and kissed my forehead. “Regardless, of who’s to blame, I don’t want you to keep moping around, honey. You’re just going to make yourself feel worse. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, even things like this. So, don’t be too hard on yourself. What you’re going through now just means something better is in store for you and our family, all right?”
I stared at the soggy cereal in front of me, and the swirls of cinnamon floating through the milk. I then picked up a spoonful and let it splash back down into the bowl.
Mama shook my shoulder. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, Mama. I’ll…I’ll try to move on from this.”
“Okay. Good girl.”
* * *
I found myself home alone again when the doorbell rang. I sat up on the couch, where I had been lying all afternoon, idly flipping through the channels in search of television programming that I didn’t have the focus to concentrate on.
The instant the doorbell rang, I felt sure it was Giovanni, just like last time I refused to accept his calls, and he unceremoniously showed up on my doorstep. This time though, he was even more unwelcome.
Surely, he should have known by now that the engagement was over…
The doorbell rang again, and I just stared at the door. After repeated rings, he began knocking rapidly. Yet, when a voice sounded from the other side of the door, it wasn’t his.
“Come on, Ari! We know you’re in there! Open up!”
Startled, I stood from the couch, recognizing Angela’s voice.
When I answered the door, she stood on the porch with our other friend, Jessica, who was holding a box of pizza.
With crumbled used tissue in my hand, I stared at them. “What are you guys doing here?”
They entered the house. “We’re here,” Jessica said, “because your mom told us that you were sitting around the house being pathetic. Over a man, no less.”
“And as you know, we’ve both been there before. So, it’s only right that we came over to get you out of this funk. Nothing can heal the betrayal of a man like hanging out with your girls,” Angela said, pulling me into a hug.
“That’s right,” said Jessica. “So, we’re going to eat pizza, watch a movie, and then go to your room, get all dolled up, and go out dancing. And we’re going to show you how to flirt and have a good time without getting attached. We’re going to show you how to play these men just like they try to do us on a regular!”
I flopped back down on the couch. “I don’t think I’m in the mood for that.”
“Well too bad!” Angela said. “You have no choice because we’re not giving you any other choice.”
With that, she disappeared into the kitchen, rummaging for plates, cups, and soda, while Jessica grabbed the television remote from me and began searching On Demand for movies. “No chick flicks. We need something funny and raunchy with handsome guys to drool,” she said, winking at me.
I leaned back on the couch, torn between being happy they were there to cheer me up, and wishing that they would leave me alone.
Jessica turned around to face me. “Angela told me a little bit about what happened,” she said, “but I’d like to hear from you exactly what happened if it’s all right.”
“Yeah,” Angela said, returning with the cups, plates, and soda. She popped open the pizza box and then took a seat on the floor beside Jessica. The aroma of cheese and pepperoni drifted through the air. “You kind of left me hanging last night, Ari. I was worried.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking the slice of pizza she handed me although I didn’t really want it. “As you probably know by now, it was Gio that I’d seen at the club. He was there meeting with another woman. I freaked out and didn’t know what to do. And then I just wanted to be alone.”
“Where were you guys at? The usual hang-out spot?” Jessica asked.
I nodded.
“Well, then it’s settled. We have to go back there tonight.”
“Excuse me?” I said, not following her logic at all.
She smiled. “That’s our favorite spot! And it’s the best local nightclub we have in town. So, I refuse to let that place become a source of bad memories for you. We’re going back, and we’re going to turn those bad memories into good ones.”
I took a bite of pizza and nearly choked on it, the tomato sauce was too hot. I coughed. Angela reached over and thumped me on the back. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” I said, once I could speak again.
“And why not?” Jessica asked, taking a large bite of her own pizza.
“Because I met Gio in that club. I fell for him in that club. I did things with him in that club…”
Now it was Jessica’s turn to nearly choke. “Oh, my God, Arianna. You did not tell me that!” Her expression was a mixture of shock and elation. “Details! I want all the details!”
I set the pizza down and placed my head in my hands. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“This guy apparently has friends in high places,” Angela said, clearly deciding to spill the details for me. “He was able to rent them a private room right there in the club. And things got kind of sexy and heated on the pool table. And then continued later that night in his apartment.”
Jessica squealed, while I, on the other hand, wanted to sink into the couch and disappear. “Must you sound so impressed?” I said, folding my arms.
Jessica laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m so amazed that our little Ari is growing up! I know you’ve never done anything like that before. I imagine this Gio dude must have been quite the hunk, huh? He had to be in order to bring out that side in you! Girl, don’t even worry about it though. Guys like that get the best of all of us.”
In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but laugh. Soon, Jessica, Angela, and I were all laughing hysterically. At that moment, I no longer regretted that they were there. I guess I had needed a proper girls’ night, after all, more than I had realized.
I reached for my pizza, some of my appetite returning. The tomato sauce had cooled, making the pizza far more enjoyable.
“All right, Jess. What are we watching?” Angela asked.
“I was looking for something with hot guys in it. You know, to take Ari’s mind off Prince Charming who turned out to be a toad.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Angela said.
* * *
After watching a movie about male strippers, I had to admit I was in a much better mood than I had started out in. With our bellies full of pizza, we were more than ready to dance off the calories that we’d acquired.
“You need to look extra good tonight,” Angela said, grinning widely as she searched through my closet.
“Let’s go for it,” I said, feeling reckless.
“That’s what I like to hear,” Jessica said, clapping her hands together.
The next hour was spent with the three of us priming ourselves to perfection. We curled our hair, painted our nails, and changed clothes about a dozen times before we were each satisfied with our outfits. When it was all said, and done, I was wearing a short red dress with silver accents, with earrings and heels to match. Angela had settled on a pair of skinny jeans and a halter top that showed off her slender waistline, and Jessica wore a black party dress that twirled when she danced, along with a bright green belt at the waist that brought out the color in her eyes.
Before leaving, we stood in the mirror, admiring ourselves and taking at least a dozen selfies.
“All right, ladies,” Jessica said. “Let’s go break some hearts, shall we?”
And with that, we made our way downstairs and out the door, laughing and ready to dance the night away. As I locked up the house, I just hoped that by the end of the night, I would be left saying, “Giovanni who?”
We piled into Angela’s car, me sitting in the passenger’s seat while Jessica sat in the back. Once our seatbelts were buckled, Angela cranked the full radio volume, getting us pumped up for the night.
When we were on the road, I put down the window, enjoying the feel of the wind in my hair and face.
“Girl, raise that window back up!” Jessica said from the backseat. “You’re going to mess up our hair!”
I burst out laughing.
When we pulled into the club, we felt like a trio of superstars. All eyes were on us from the second we stepped inside. The dance floor was packed, and the music was loud. Jessica and Angela each grabbed one of my hands, and we squeezed our way onto the floor.
While I was tempted to glance around, I forced myself not to because Gio was still in the back of my mind. I had to remind myself that starting tonight, he was no longer a part of the equation. He was my past, and I had to leave him there.
I knew that most women had had their hearts broken before. I wasn’t the first and certainly wouldn’t be the last. And now that I had entered the world of men, there would undoubtedly be others. On a positive note, if I had to thank Giovanni for anything, it was for making me wiser and better able handle situations like this in the future.
Smiling, I began to sway my hips to the beat, while Angela and Jessica danced alongside me, cheering me on. After a while, Jessica nudged Angela in the arm and wink. She then nodded her head in my direction—or at something just passed me, rather.
Suddenly, I felt a presence and knew someone was behind me. My heart skipping a beat, I slowly turned around.
I released the breath I’d been holding upon seeing that it wasn’t Giovanni. It was another handsome man though. He was tall with broad shoulders, short shaggy hair, and bright brown eyes. He smiled and held his hand out to me.
“Can I dance with you?” he asked.
I took his hand and grinned. “Sure.”
“What’s your name?”
“Arianna.”
“Nice to meet you, Arianna. I’m Brad.”
I simply smirked, not having the heart to tell him that I didn’t care what his name was. I just wanted him to help me forget Gio. “Well when this song is over, Brad, how about you buy me a drink?”
He grinned. “My pleasure, beautiful.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he slinked his arms around my waist as we moved together to the beat. When the song went off, Brad took me by the hand and led me to the bar. I glanced back over my shoulder toward Jessica and Angela. They smiled and gave me the thumbs up, which I laughed and returned.
Tonight, was starting off pretty good already. I just hoped it stayed that way.